1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cut sheet holding and containing device, and more particularly to a cut sheet loading device in a cut sheet holding and containing device used in a recording apparatus such as a printer or a copying apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A cut sheet holding and containing device loads paper sheets (recording paper sheets) cut into predetermined dimensions in a piled state thereon, the cut sheets being fed one by one into a recording station or the like, and is widely used in various types of recording apparatuses such as printers or copying apparatuses.
As the cut sheet holding and containing device, there has heretofore been proposed a cut sheet supply device of the type in which a paper supply roller is installed in a paper containing space surrounded by a pair of covers comprising an openable-closable cover (usually an upper cover or a front cover) and a fixed cover (usually a lower cover or a rear cover). A cut sheet holding intermediate plate (paper keeping plate) spring-biased toward the paper supply roller is provided between the paper supply roller and the fixed cover. A separating pawl bearing against the leading end portion of cut sheets is provided forwardly of the intermediate plate, and when the paper supply roller is rotated, the cut sheets are fed out while being separated one by one by the separating pawl.
When cut sheets are to be supplementally loaded into the cut sheet supply device of this type, the openable-closable cover (the dust-proof cover for protecting the contained recording paper sheets from the surrounding environment such as dust and moisture) may be opened, the intermediate plate may be depressed toward the fixed cover and moved away from the paper supply roller, a bundle of cut sheets may be inserted from therebetween and the leading end of the cut sheets may be positioned below the separating pawl, whereafter the depression of the intermediate plate may be released and the openable-closable cover may be closed.
However, in the conventional cut sheet supply device of this type, where the cut sheets to be loaded are not flat but deformed, for example, where the marginal portion thereof is warped, there has occurred a problem caused by the marginal portion striking against or being caught by the separating pawl, thus making it difficult or impossible to insert the cut sheets into a predetermined position.
Further, in the conventional cut sheet supply device of this type, where the cut sheets to be loaded are not flat but deformed, for example, where the marginal portion thereof is warped, there has occurred a problem in that during the loading of the cut sheets, the cut sheets strike against the paper supply roller or are pushed into that side opposite to the contact side of the paper supply roller, thus making it difficult or impossible to load the cut sheets into a predetermined position.
Also, in the conventional paper supply device of such a structure, when a bundle of recording paper sheets is to be newly loaded, there have been required the operations of opening the dust-proof cover, manually pushing back the paper keeping plate pressed by a spring and loading the bundle of paper sheets into the space between the paper keeping plate and the paper supply roller, and these operations have been very cumbersome.